Working in the future

The forces reshaping the way we work are many and varied – and companies must be prepared to face them all, writes The Economist Intelligence Unit

It used to be the case that staff worked the way they were told to by their employers. It was therefore the objectives of the organisation – efficiency, in most cases – that defined the working style of the majority.

In the last century, another major influence on working practices was information technology. We need look no further than the modern-day office to see how much of an influence it has been – many of us spend our working lives gazing at a computer monitor.